Democracy Happy Hour - September 10, 2025

Fix Democracy First hosts a weekly Democracy Happy Hour on Wednesdays @ 5-6:30pm PT. Grab a drink and join us and learn about the latest democracy efforts, challenges, solutions, as well upcoming events and actions.

This is a recurring event. You only have to register once. Register here.

Polemic for Democracy

With author Zane Gustafso

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/wW9Z2kCh17prMeYeumsr-dtxDBGxQHTjgvtUnFlyc6sbpRVoI0VDg6xTiBbh_c3kFOtMJ9UEa3CJ3yTW.NOSRDhA7auChsHIP
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/7otftOGXOrJOdhwHMaAht_kxp5u3ogse_vaVH7LGHPQmA2Lk2LtG_AXd8BXxl2KzPi2r5isHmyU0NSNI.v2TflDexg91-mQIb

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/sURo4SJFqe9yqOh8Lz37JJlP2WcTvv6rf26gOmPBhEGjPE-8G_aFor793250wjJ-gQAhkz-QsKamnNjY.Qu_k1xouKbGmFAuK

• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/ONPDg0osTvpAsiWJLZ1SWOOIHeCXV5gjUmcqbCl49sZDrCb3Hcd7IOFBOQV74zc59PVibk6omi97gEog.WRwDNz0wWC3COoLE

Meeting resources

How to Support Zane's Work:

- Buy Polemic for Democracy https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=e6FpRlwhFaYMhOMP0kOZs4KAZhMdFoLGQEnx0oQp9Ob

- Subscribe to Zane's Substack:  https://impolitik.substack.com/

- Democracy Merch: https://politicalzane.myshopify.com/products/democracy-hat?variant=45505091928235

- How to Rebuild American Democracy in 20 Minutes -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFca2mYb1wc

Zane's Socials:

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@politicalzane/videos

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/politicalzane

- TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@politicalzane

FDF Links

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/
• Donate to Fix Democracy First here: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule

• Sept 17 – National Popular Vote with Dr. John R. Koza, Chair
• Sept 24– Impeach Trump. Again. Campaign with John Bonifaz, Co-Founder & President of Free Speech for People
• Oct 1 –  with Jim Rough,  & Zachary Weaver, The Wise Democracy Project: A rebirth of “We the People” Center for Wise DemocracyDemocracy in a Box
• Oct 8 – NO Democracy Happy Hour this week (Cindy has jury duty.)
• Oct 15 – with Tom Moore, Senior Fellow for Democracy Policy, Center for American ProgressThe New Strategy That Will Undo Citizens United

Actions and events

Actions

• 5 Calls - https://5calls.org/
• How You Can Protect Democracy - 29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy - https://protectdemocracy.org/how-to-protect-democracy
• Impeach Trump. Again. - https://www.impeachtrumpagain.org/. Sign the Petition: https://www.impeachtrumpagain.org/#action . Join a local Indivisible group - https://indivisible.org/groups
• Join Braver Angels - https://braverangels.org/get-involved/#become-member
• Paths to Understanding - The Potluck Project – https://pathstounderstanding.org/get-involved/potluck
• Protect Public Media Funding - https://protectmypublicmedia.org/
• Share Your Democracy Story, Declaration for American Democracy  -  https://dfadcoalition.org/story
• Tell your Senators to oppose the SAVE Act - https://www.lwv.org/take-action/tell-your-members-congress-oppose-save-act
• The Freedom Writers Collaborative - https://freedomwriterscollaborative.org/
• The People's Hub for Grassroots Democracy Organizing - https://www.usgrassroots.org
• #UnifyUSA Freedom Charter - https://www.unify-usa.org/freedom_charter

Events

• Meaningful Movies Project Film Screening on Sept 16 @ 6pm in Tacoma, WA - Ultimate Citizens - https://meaningfulmovies.org/events/ultimate-citizens-2/
• NO KINGS National Day of Action - Oct 18th -https://www.nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=fixdemocracyfirst
• Stand Up for Democracy! Fix Democracy First Awards Dinner & Celebration - Seattle – Oct 25^th@ 5 pm – Get your tickets here: https://fixdemocracyfirst.salsalabs.org/awards-dinner-2025

Democracy in the News

Resources

• 2024-2025 SCOTUS Term - https://www.oyez.org/cases/2024
• All of the Trump Administration’s Major Moves in the First 100 Days - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/trump-agenda-2025.html
• The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability - https://www.justsecurity.org/117267/anti-corruption-tracker/
• Democracy 2025 – Democracy 2025 is the strategic hub to protect people and their rights should the Trump-Vance administration seek to unlawfully strip away freedoms and prosperity. -  https://www.democracy2025.org/
• How You Can Protect Democracy - 29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy - https://protectdemocracy.org/how-to-protect-democracy
• Project 2026: Trump’s Plan to Rig the Next Election - https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/09/donald-trump-plan-to-rig-2026-midterm-elections-voter-suppression-gerrymandering-certification/
• State of Emergency - Democracy, Civil Rights & Progress Under Attack  - https://stateofblackamerica.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/NUL-SOBA-Executive%20Summary-2025-web%20%281%29%20%281%29.pdf
• The People's Hub For Grassroots Democracy Organizing  - https://www.usgrassroots.org/
• Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift - https://www.democracydocket.com/timeline-tracking-the-trump-justice-departments-anti-voting-shift/
• Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/trump-administration-lawsuits.html

August 2025

August 27

• Latino Voters in Yakima Valley Secure Key Voting Rights Act Victory - https://campaignlegal.org/press-releases/latino-voters-yakima-valley-secure-key-voting-rights-act-victory

September 2025

September 02

• 2026 midterm elections projected to set new advertising record - https://www.axios.com/2025/09/02/2026-midterm-election-political-ads-spending
• Demanding Answers about the Trump Administration’s National Citizenship Data System - https://americanoversight.org/demanding-answers-about-the-trump-administrations-national-citizenship-data-system/
• Federal Court Blocks South Dakota’s Attack on Citizen Ballot Measures - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/federal-court-blocks-south-dakotas-attack-on-citizen-ballot-measures/
• Fontes rejects DOJ request for Arizona's full voter registration database - https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2025/09/02/fontes-rejects-doj-voter-database
• Trump administration blocks groups from voter registration at naturalization events - https://www.npr.org/2025/09/02/nx-s1-5525875/trump-naturalization-voter-registration-uscis
• Trump administration use of National Guard in L.A. violated law, judge rules - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/02/trump-administration-use-national-guard-la-violated-law-judge-rules
• Trump canceling elections? Democrats increasingly sound alarm bells. - https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/politics/democrats-alarm-trump-elections-analysis

September 03

• Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s Use of Alien Enemies Act to Deport Venezuelans - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/us/politics/trump-alien-enemies-act-court.html
• DC National Guard troops have orders extended through December, official says - https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-dc-troops-extended-trump-crime-829278c21a182d28c907ff4ef25bb952
• Democrats foil justice department lawsuit by negotiating to keep 98,000 North Carolina voters - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/03/trump-north-carolina-elections-lawsuit
• How the war over US congressional redistricting is playing out, state by state - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-war-over-us-congressional-redistricting-is-playing-out-state-by-state-2025-08-08/
• Left and right are joining forces to ban lawmakers from trading stock - https://apnews.com/article/stock-trading-ban-congress-7467604e26652de32687442bcb277774
• The group behind Project 2025 wants a ‘Manhattan Project’ for more babies - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/09/03/heritage-foundation-parents-children-birth
• Trump’s DOJ seeks voting equipment in Missouri ahead of 2026 election - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/03/trump-2020-election-integrity
• Utah’s congressional map must be redrawn now, judge rules - https://apnews.com/article/utah-redistricting-congressional-districts-gerrymandering-map-election-b1ef284c4ecfbee93d12050fb9d9d7dc

September 04

• Appeals Court Says ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center Can Stay Open - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/us/alligator-alcatraz-florida-appeals.html
• D.C. Sues Trump Administration Over Deployment of National Guard - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/us/dc-trump-national-guard-suit.html
• Louisiana election investigation finds 79 noncitizens have voted since 1980s - https://lailluminator.com/2025/09/04/louisiana-election-investigation-finds-79-noncitizens-have-voted-since-1980s/
• Texas Republican Party sues state to end open primaries - https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/04/texas-gop-republican-party-closed-primary-elections/
• Trump officials ask Supreme Court to quickly allow sweeping tariffs - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/04/tariffs-trump-supreme-court-appeal/
• Trump suggests National Guard could go into New Orleans, a blue city in a red state -https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-guard-new-orleans-chicago-baltimore-c9df92974b9fbb2f3be0bb015a512eff

September 05

• Federal Judges Are Fed Up With SCOTUS - https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/federal-judges-supreme-court-trump-emergency-orders/
• Pentagon officials fume over Trump's Department of War rebrand - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/05/pentagon-officials-department-of-war-anger-confusion-00548367
• Republicans eye Kansas and Nebraska to draw more House seats - https://www.axios.com/2025/09/05/republicans-redistricting-nebraska-kansas-trump
• Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/us/politics/trump-drug-smugglers-military.html
• Trump signs executive order rebranding Pentagon as Department of War - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/05/department-war-defense-trump-executive-order-pentagon

September 06

• ICE Has Begun Immigration Crackdown in Massachusetts - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/06/us/politics/ice-operation-boston.html
• The Trump Administration Wants Your Voter Registration Data. Why? - https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/the-trump-administration-wants-your-voter-registration-data-why/

September 07

• Poll: Most Americans oppose political parties drawing election lines - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-americans-oppose-political-parties-drawing-election-lines-rcna229257
• Proposed changes to Missouri’s initiative petition process would create a hard threshold for passage - https://www.firstalert4.com/2025/09/07/proposed-changes-missouris-initiative-petition-process-would-create-hard-threshold-passage/

September 08

• Advocates condemn new rule barring groups from helping newly naturalized citizens register to vote - https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/09/08/advocates-condemn-new-rule-barring-groups-from-helping-newly-naturalized-citizens-register-to-vote/
• Federal immigration operations ramping up in Chicago and Boston as other sanctuary cities are on alert - https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/08/us/chicago-sanctuary-cities-ice-raids-planned
• Feds block League of Women Voters from registering new citizens after R.I. naturalization ceremonies - https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/08/feds-block-league-of-women-voters-from-registering-new-citizens-after-r-i-naturalization-ceremonies/
• ICE launches ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ targeting immigrants in Chicago - https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/09/08/ice-midway-blitz-chicago-trump
• New Chicago immigration campaign prompts confusion as city braces for federal intervention - https://apnews.com/article/immigration-chicago-trump-arrests-dd9c7e57fe829665d722c6755dcafd09
• Supreme Court lifts restrictions on LA immigration stops set after agents swept up US citizens - https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-immigration-stops-los-angeles-trump-57cc1f85ceafda0f11052b326c8b7173
• The Supreme Court Decision on ICE and Racial Profiling, Explained - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/us/politics/supreme-court-immigration-racial-profiling.html
• Trump asks Supreme Court to allow $4 billion in foreign aid cuts - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/trump-asks-supreme-court-allow-4-billion-foreign-aid-cuts-rcna229794

September 09

• Democrats launch legal blitz to blunt GOP redistricting advantage - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/09/democrats-hopes-courts-redistricting-fight-00551030
• DOJ in Talks to Share Voter Data With Homeland Security Amid Immigration Crackdown: Report - https://www.latintimes.com/doj-talks-share-voter-data-homeland-security-amid-immigration-crackdown-report-589340
• How the redistricting fights aim to take the risk out of elections - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/09/09/redistricting-fights-risk-elections/
• Judge rejects challenge to Georgia election law provisions on absentee ballots - https://apnews.com/article/georgia-absentee-ballots-elections-department-of-justice-d02d4418e4c514e4721d6bfdfd261ac1
• Justice Department Has Demanded Voter Files from at Least 22 States - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/justice-department-has-demanded-voter-files-least-21-states
• Michigan judge tosses case against 15 accused fake electors for President Donald Trump in 2020 - https://apnews.com/article/michigan-fake-electors-donald-trump-2020-60022827cd726924b19a7b152bbe27b1
• Missouri state House passes Trump-backed congressional map - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/09/missouri-redistricting-republicans-trump
• NC Voters, Civil Rights Groups Warn DOJ Settlement Will Burden Eligible Voters - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/nc-voters-civil-rights-groups-warn-doj-settlement-will-burden-eligible
• Presidency Boosts Trump’s Net Worth By $3 Billion In A Year - https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2025/09/09/presidency-boosts-trumps-net-worth-by-3-billion-in-a-year/
• Trump Administration Quietly Seeks to Build National Voter Roll - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/us/politics/trump-voter-registration-data.html
• US Supreme Court to decide legality of Trump's tariffs - https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-decide-legality-trumps-tariffs-2025-09-09/
• Voters' rights advocacy group gathers signatures for ballot initiative - https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/voters-rights-advocacy-group-gathers-signatures-for-ballot-initiative/article_f5385648-efcb-40b4-ab6d-b2f6af3954b1.html

September 10

• 5 legal battles over redistricting to watch - https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5494169-voting-rights-act-redistricting/
• Trump’s DOJ requests WA voter data, including personal info - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/trumps-doj-requests-wa-voter-data-including-personal-info
• National Guard documents show public ‘fear,’ veterans’ ‘shame’ over D.C. presence - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/10/national-guard-trump-dc
• Ohio Democrats unveil ‘fair’ redistricting plan as Republicans keep their map under wraps - https://signalcleveland.org/ohio-democrats-unveil-fair-redistricting-plan-as-republicans-keep-their-map-under-wraps/

Good News Websites

• ABC Good News - https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/good-news
• Daily Good - https://www.dailygood.org/
• Democracy's Good News - https://www.democracygroup.org/topics/democracys-good-news
• Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
• Politics & Government Good News - https://www.goodgoodgood.co/impact/democracy
• Sunny Skyz - https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news
• The Happy News - https://thehappynewspaper.com/

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